Electric switch



Aug 21, 1923. @65,692

N. L. SNORF ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Dec. 2 1921 Patented vaug. 2i, i923.

f sra NEWTON SNORF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 EDMUNDS & JONES COEPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed December?, 1921. Serial No. 519,542.

T 0 al? iti/2.0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEWTON L. SNORF, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use# of construction which might be employed with equal-advantagesy in switches of other types.

. In some of its particular aspects, my invention aims to provide a switch in which the contact is made by the forcing of a resilient conducting member against avsecond Contact` member which has a rigid porl' tion disposed for resisting tlie resulting thrust, It also aims to arrange the resilient contact member so that it will automatically hold the pressure-actuating member (which is desirably in the form o'f a rocking lever) in both its ope-rative and inoperative positions, aims to provide a switch casing having wall portions disposed for cooperating with the yielding contact member in holding the operating member firmly in its on and ott positions, and aims to provide simple means for securing the shaft of the rocking lever to the casing-of the switch.

Furthermore, myinvention aims to provide as the operating member of such a switch a rocking lever'projecting through a portion of the'casing of the switch and formed Ifor effectively closing the opening through which it projects when the lever is in either its on or off position. It also aims to provide simple and effective means for securing the lateral portion of thev switch casing to the head or switch front without employing screws or other auxiliary fastening members, and aims to providesimple `,means for anchoring thecooperating contact members against rotation about the mem-V bers which fasten them to the insulating base of the switch. Stillfurther and more ing my invention.

.lever or actuating member of theswitch.

-detailed objects will* appear from the following specitication and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a plan View of a switc y h embody- Fig. 2 isa side elevation .of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlargedlongitudinal section taken along the center line of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the insulating switch base and of the conducting inembers carried thereby. Y

Fig. 5 isa transverse section taken along the correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 3. f Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rocking Fig. 7 .is a bottom View of the switch.

Fig. 8r is a fragmentary section showing the method of securingthe rock shaft to the switch casing.

`In the embodiment of the drawings, the switchjof my invention includes as its ,casing a cylindrical shell portion 1 equipped at its upper. or forward end withv apair of ears 2, which ears extend at right angles to the axis ofthe shell ll and bear iatwise against a plate 3. This plate forms the front -of .the switch 'and desirably has a rearwardly formed edge portion 4 designed to raise the front lfrom the wall to which it. is fastened.'

Each of the shell ears 2 has a perforation alining with a corresponding perforation in the front plate 3, and the adjacent metal of the front plate 3 is forced through the per-l foration in the adjoining ear 2 and clinched over the back of this ear as shown in Fig. 3. Thus arranged, the portions of the front plate projecting through these ears form anchoring tubes 5 each of which simultaneously affords an opening through which a screw may be inserted for fastening the front plate t'oa dashboard or other support and each of which tubes clinchingly anchors the front plate 3 to the shell portion of the casing.

The 'rear of the shell l is closed by an insulating hea-d 6 carrying the circuit terminals and the switching or circuit-controlling conductors. Each of the circuit terminals desirably consist of a tubular rivet 7 `threaded upon its interior for receivingthe shank of a binding screw 8 and extending within the casing through one. of the two cooperating contact members. One of these contact members desirably consists of a resilientmember 9 formed from a strip of 'contact member which comprises a riser portion 11 extending towards the contact strip portion and integral with a base i 'portion 12 secured tothe insulating head 6 by the. other tubular rivet. The riser portion 11 desirably extends-approximately at right angles-to the adjacent portion of the contact strip 10 and towards a medial por'- tion of the length ofthe latter, and thisr contact strip 10 has its free end downwardly curved A.so as to afford a hump 13 substantially as shown in |Fig..3.

Pivoted to the shell 1 on a shaft-14 extending transversely of thel shell 1 near the forward end thereof,-and extending sub'- s'tantially at right angles to the common plane of the axes of the two tub`ular rivets, is a rocking lever which forms the actuating member of the switch and which desirably is made of rubber, fiber or similar insulating material. This rocking lever com prises a handle 15 projecting forwardly beyond the casing through an aperture 16, which aperture is of a sufficient length in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft 14 to permit" the lever to be rocked to a considerable angle aboutthe said shaft, and' which aperture approximates the width of the handle 15 sufficiently to prevent a sliding of the lever on the shaft. The lever also includes a rear stem portion 17 having a rounded end' which continuously bears against the forward face 0f the contact 'strip 10 and which is adapted to slide along this contact strip when the lever is rocked (in a diection which is clockwise in 3) so as to afford a cam action flexing the contact strip into engagement with the riser portion 11 of the companion circuit terminal. Furthermore, this rounded inner end ofthe stern 17 is adapted to ride over the said hump 13 when the lever is rocked to afford the contact-insuring flexing of the strip' 10, thereby latching the rocking lever yieldingl in the position sh'own in dotted lines in Fig. 3. To limit the lever in the said direction, Imav stop this movementv by engagement of the handle 15 `against one edge of the aperture 16, vnamely the right hand edge of Fig. However, this edge might'be apt to indent -the. lever in time, hence I preferably. employ either or both of two other means for stopping thisv movement of the 'lever- One of'these con-l sists in equipping the rocking lever with an arm 18 having a forward face adapted to bear against the rear' of the front plate 3 when the rocking lever is in its off position. The other consists in proportioning they parts so that the rear-end ofthe rocking lever will engage the: bore of the shell 1 when the lever` isin 'its off position, or in other words so that this inner end of the lever will beclamped between the shell and the free end of the contact strip 10 after the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

To limit the movement of the lever in the bers from rotating about'the tubular rivets which secure them to the insulating head '6, I desirably provide each of these contact members with a finger or ear engaging a corresponding recess formation in the head 6, as by providing the-.contact base 12-with a lug 20 entering a lateral slot 21 in the insulating head, and providing the base 9 of the companion 4contact member with an ear22 entering a bore 23 which extends part way through the head 6 -from the interior of the latter. shell 1 against rotation within the latter by any suitable means, as for example` b'y indenting portions 24 of the shell into the peri-phery of the head 6,."the latter being desirably of rubber, fiber or similar material.

With the parts thus assembled, it will be obvious from Fig. 3 `that the resiliency of the longer contact member will cooperate with the .arm 19 onthe rocking lever for holding this lever in its offfpositiom that Then I anchor the head Gute the.

a movement of this rockinglever will first force the contact strip 10 into engagement with the riserl portion 11 of the companion contact-member and will then snap the inner end of the lever over the' hump 13 so as to latch it in its F on position; also, that by lhaving vthe riser portion 11 extending transversely. of the adjacent part of the coni tact strip 10 I avoid anyltendency towards bending the shorterfco'ntact member and enl clude dustand the like fromv the switchingv casing. Smalso, i it lwill be noted that bvv clinhing the vtubular formations- 3 of the -front plate through the perforations in the ears 2, I firmly secure this front plate through the shell .of -'the casing without employing any auxiliary fastening elements While also providing a handsome finish for thev screw-hole plate t 'Io facilitate the securing of the shaft 14 toy the shell portion of the casing, I desirably reduce the shaft in diameter at each end for a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of the shell l, as shown-in' F ig. 8. Then after slipping the vshaft 14 through a corresponding bore in the rocking lever and before securing both perforations in this front the front plate 3 to the shell, I compress the shell slightly in a direction transverse to the shaft, thereby increasing the distance between the two perforations in the shell l through which theends of the shaft 14 are to project. Having done th-is, I can insert the shaft from the adjacent end 'of the shell into the interior of the 'latter andl snap its ends into the corresponding perforations in that shell. .This enables me to effect the mounting of the shaft without added labor" or'auxiliary fastening elements. Iny doing so, it is immaterial whether or not the lever is loose on the shaft on the latter, although I preferably drive the lever tightly over the shaftso that the rocking bearing will be between the ends of the shaft and the shell,

thereby avoiding wear on the lever. However, while I have illustrated and dcscribed my inventionv in an embodiment employing various desirable, features of construction and arrangement, I do not wishto be limited to these as they might obviously be varied in' many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. Neither do T 'wish to be limited to the joint use of all ofthe va' rious features of this inventiom, as some of these features might obviously be used in. connection with substitutes for other parts. For example, it will be evident that the method of anchoring the switch casing to the front plate as here disclosed need not be limited to switches of the rocking lever type.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an electricswitch, a resilient contact member normally yieldingly spaced from a second contact member. a casing housing the said members and including i cover plate provided with an aperture, and a lever pivoted on the casing and projecting through the aperture in the cover and continuously engaging the first named contact member and adapted to force the latter into contact with thef second contact member, the first named contact member having a hump overwhich the engaging portion of the lever rides when moving the contact .members into engagement, the lever having alaterally projecting arm disposed for eirgaging thc inner face .of the cover of the casing to limit thc movement of the lever 'in i lter intocontact with the second contact member, `the first named contact member having a hump over which the engaging ,ortion of the lever ridesvwhen moving the Contact members into engagement, the lever having a pair of oppositely directed arms .disposed for engaging'the inner face of the cover of the cas'in to limit themovement of the vlever respectively in both directions.-

3.*In Van electric switch,a resilient contact member normally 'yieldingly spaced from. a second ycontact memfer, a casing housing the said members and `including a cover plate providedlwith anapertre, and a lever pivoted on the casing 'and' projecting through the aperture in the cover and continuously engaging the first named co'ntact memberand adaptedto force the latter into contact' with the second contact member, the first named contact member having a hump over which the engaging portion 'of the lever rides when moving-the contact f members into engagement, the 'axis of the lever being lnivoted at one side of the said aperture in the cover and the lever having a lateral projection disposedvfor engaging the inner face of the cover to limit the movement of the lever in one direction and to close the portion of the aperture at that i side' ofthe lever.

4.* In an electric switch, a resilient contact member normally yieldingly spaced from a second contact member, a casing housing the. said members and including a cover-,plate provided with an aperture, and a lever pivoted on the casing and projecting through the aperture. in thecover and continuously engaging the first named contact .member and adapted to force the latter into contact with the second contact member, the Afirst named `contact member having a hump over which thc engaging' portionof the lever rides when moving the Contact members into engagement, the casing having a pair of oppositely disposed lateral perforations and the pivotal mounting ,of

the lever including a shaft having ends of,

reduced diameter respectively soclreted in the said perforations, the casingl being of resilient material and the shaft being insertedwhile the casing is distorted to lengthen the distance between the said perforations and being'normally held in pla'ce by the resiliency of the casing.

v5. In an electric switch, a resilient'contact member normally yieldingly spaced from a second contact member, a casing housing the said members and including a cover plate provided with an aperture, and a lever pivoted on the casing andprojecting through the aperture in the cover and continously engaging the first named contact member and adapted to force the'latter into contact with the second contact member, the

' first named contact member having a hump over Vwhich the engaging portion of the lever rides when 'moving the contact memlbers into engagement; the end ofthel lever which engages the rst named contact membase, a substantially inflexible contact mem' arm extending obliquely forward from .ther-25" base, a second contact member secured to* the base and having a free ended resilient ,portion extending past the tip of the/:said

riser arrr and approximately at right angles to thel latter, and a lever movable into and out of a position, in Vwhich it engages the said resilient portionbetween its free end and the part adjacent tothe tip of the riser arm to flex the said resilient portion into Contact intermediate of its length with 'the ti ,of the riser arm.

'soA

7. n electric switch as per claim 6,-in" I which the lever when in its said contact exing ldisposition engages the bore of the for latchingthe flexing means in its last named position.-

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, 4November 

